Morgan County, TN (WOKI / WVLT) A Morgan County deputy has been charged in connection to a deadly officer-involved shooting.

Officials with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation say deputies with the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office went to a burglary call at a home on Ray Cross Road in Harriman on May 2 wherein Deputy Charles Faircloth shot John A. Cox, who later died at the hospital.

According to the District Attorney’s office, Cox was shot multiple times after picking up a large rock and coming at the deputy.

“The first deputy on scene was already on his way to the sheriff’s office in his sheriff’s department marked vehicle when the call was dispatched. He arrived at the scene and was confronted by the subject who was the reason for the 911 call,” District Attorney General Russell Johnson said. “The adult male subject picked up a large rock and came after the deputy who shot multiple times.”

A Morgan County Grand Jury Monday returned indictments charging Faircloth with one count of criminally negligent homicide and one count of official misconduct.

Faircloth surrendered to authorities at the Loudon County Jail Tuesday and was booked on a $5,000 bond.

District Attorney General Johnson sent WOKI’s news partner, WVLT News, the following statement after Faircloth was indicted:

“When a law enforcement officer responds to a scene of unknown threat, we expect them to do so with the courage of Daniel and the strength of Samson. Once there, we expect them to assess the situation with the wisdom of Solomon and to exercise the patience of Job to remedy the threat without the loss of a life, especially their own, but also that of the person causing the disturbance.

In essence, we expect the impossible from them. Sometimes death of the threatening individual occurs.

We, as the district attorney’s office, turn to the grand jury whose membership consists of constitutionally appointed citizens of the community to weigh the actions of law enforcement and the outcome of these deadly encounters against the standards that they as citizen grand jurors expect in their community as they balance those expectations against the applicable law as set forth by the Legislature .

In this case, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation presented the results of their investigation to the Morgan County Grand Jury, including interviews, 911 and dispatch transmissions, as well as a 3-D rendition of the scene and the toxicology and autopsy results.

After the presentation, the grand jury members deliberated and returned an indictment for criminally negligent homicide and official misconduct against the responding officer, Morgan County Sheriff’s Deputy Ray Faircloth.

Deputy Faircloth was the first officer to arrive at Ray Cross Road and confronted John Anthony Cox, the subject of the 911 call. Faircloth ultimately shot four times killing Cox who was brandishing a rock at Deputy Fairfield’s approach. 

Faircloth’s bond was set by Morgan County Criminal Court Judge Jeff Wicks at $5,000.  His arraignment is set for next Tuesday at the Morgan County Courthouse, as are all other cases indicted during this term of the grand jury.” – 9th District Attorney General Russell Johnson

Additional information was not released.